Meghan Markle was visibly emotional as she greeted bereaved parents during a private vigil with Prince Harry to unveil a new memorial in New York earlier this week. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who visited New York on Wednesday, with Meghan attending a TIME100 summit, hosted a private vigil where they unveiled the Lost Screen Memorial to honour the lives of children lost to online harm.

Led by Harry and Meghan's charity - the Archewell Foundation's Parents’ Network - the memorial is said to be a "powerful call to action for urgent online safety reform". Harry and Meghan joined nearly 50 families from The Parents’ Network who believe social media played a part in the deaths of their youngsters and whose children were commemorated in the installation.

The Duchess was clearly moved as she spoke to parents about the dangers of social media.

Meghan told reporters at the poignant event, according to People: "No matter how polarised the world is, or what people may or may not agree on, one thing that we can all agree on is that our children should be safe.

"All of our children should be safe, and I think tonight, all of these stories solidify that."

Harry added: "These children were not sick. Their deaths were not inevitable—they were exposed to, and in many cases were pushed harmful content online, the kind any child could encounter.

"No child should be exploited, groomed, or preyed upon in digital spaces. To the platforms, they may be seen as statistics. To their families, they were cherished and irreplaceable."

The Lost Screen Memorial installation will be in place for 24 hours and is made of 50 large smartphone-shaped light boxes, each displaying a lock screen photograph of a child or young person who died due to the harms of the internet.

A virtual version of the memorial is available to engage with each child’s story, including personal voice messages from their families.

Archewell said in a statement: "By engaging with families, amplifying their voices, and championing responsible technology, this work aims to shape a more compassionate, accountable digital environment."

The couple's appearance came as online regulator Ofcom set out new rules to legally require tech firms to block children's access to harmful content from July or face massive fines.

The Sussexes' Archewell Foundation previously unveiled its Parents' Network initiative as a support system for parents of children affected by online harm.

Among those in New York was Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died in 2022, in what was believed to be an online challenge which went wrong.

Ms Roome has told how technology companies have refused to give her access to his accounts. She has campaigned for a "Jools's Law" to give parents the right to access their children's online activity after they die.

Ofcom published its final children's codes of practice on Thursday, setting out rules for how websites and apps must protect children from harmful content, including by using age assurance tools and reconfiguring algorithms to prevent young people accessing illegal and harmful material.

However, some online safety campaigners have argued that the rules do not go far enough and give tech firms too much control over their approach and the definition of harmful content, rather than forcing them to block it.